> The sort of people that start companies generally like doing new things, not executing relentlessly on the same things. But restraint is critical...
I haven’t started a business, but I mean to. Is it really so common to be all about the new? “Restraining myself” would actually mean starting new things when I’m supposed to, instead of working relentlessly on one thing to completion like I prefer to do.
If you work relentlessly to completion, count your blessings (assuming you're actually achieving completion, not just stuck in recursive perfectionism). The problem most creatives I know encounter is not completing things, because they chase the shiny new ideas that come to them constantly.
I certainly used to be that way, but in the past year or two I’ve grown. Doing a short one-off project from start to finish is fine, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. But I’m making a long bet on a programming language project and there’s little time for anything else.
Besides, it seems better to think in terms of tasks, not projects. What is the most concrete thing I can do right now? Even if it’s large and daunting, I think you can always be productive as long as your goals are specific enough to be actionable.
I haven’t started a business, but I mean to. Is it really so common to be all about the new? “Restraining myself” would actually mean starting new things when I’m supposed to, instead of working relentlessly on one thing to completion like I prefer to do.